Step By Step to a Healthy Home

Gluten Free Bread/Tortillas/Buns/Pizza

I’ve been enjoying great tasting gluten free bread, tortillas, hamburger buns, pizza crusts, and flatbread, all made from one basic recipe (this makes it easier to only shop for these basic ingredients). I am using the refrigerator rise method given in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day (their website is: artisanbreadinfive.com). The recipe has several modifications to make it to my liking:

Gluten Free Basic Refrigerator Dough

Whisking together the flours. This is the only picture I had for this, although I don't rise bread in a metal bowl.

Continue to stir with wooden spoon until all flour is combined. Cover, and set on counter for 2 hours, or until dough has risen. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Dough is ready immediately, or develops a better flavor, great digestibility, and fewer carbohydrates with a longer “soak” during several days in the refrigerator. You will not knead the dough when removing it from the fridge, just carefully break off the amount of dough for baking.

Bread: allow to rest baking stone/bread pan for 1 hour, covered, then bake approx. 1 hour in 350 degree oven, or until the internal temperature is 200-210 degrees. Directions for crusty bread are given on the Artisan Bread In Five site. Cool completely before slicing. Yields 2 medium loaves.

Pizza Crust: place about 1/4 of dough on a large square of freezer paper. Cover with another square of freezer paper. Roll to the size of

Rolling a tortilla between two sheets of freezer paper.

a pizza pan, then place in freezer, for up to a month. When frozen, the crust can be removed, the paper stripped from it and immediately placed on a pizza pan or stone. It will then melt and be ready to bake by the time you have toppings on it. (I preheat my stone to 500, and bake the pizza for 10 minutes.) Yields 4 pizzas.

Flat Bread: using the freezer paper method above, roll the dough to the size of a tortilla, then fry on medium in a cast iron skillet with a Tb. of butter for each side. Yum!

Peeling the paper from a frozen tortilla; ready to cook on the stove top.

Tortillas: Omit yeast from recipe; I also reduce eggs to 1, but it works with 4 as well. Place the amount of a small fist of dough on freezer paper, cover with freezer paper, and roll to a round tortilla, just as in the method above for pizza crust. I keep stacks of these in the freezer. Heat cast iron griddle or skillet to medium heat, then remove tortilla from freezer and paper, cook without oil for about 2 minutes, until you can see the underside has cooked. Flip to cook other side. These are delicious and flexible! Yeild 18-20 tortillas.

My sourdough starter, developing on the countertop.

Sourdough: I have recently been making this bread recipe with a GF brown rice sourdough culture which I purchased from culturesforhealth.com. To do this, I omit the yeast, and substitute 1 cup of active sourdough starter (from a jar on my counter) for 1/2 cup of the brown rice flour, and 1/2 cup of the water. All the other instructions for bread apply.

What do you feed your GF starter to keep it going? I am considering taking my existing wheat stater and using that to culture a GF one. Of course, it will take a few feedings and dumping or using part to get it so it no longer has any gluten. I should do some research to see of others have tried that.

Tiffany, I would not use your sourdough wheat starter to make a GF starter. When mills (like Bob’s Red Mill) certify their products as gluten free, they talk about testing in parts per million (like no more than 10 ppm)…so unless you want to mix and dump your starter 100,000 times it’s not going to be GF. 🙂

When I wanted to convert a wheat sourdough starter to GF, I grew the GF starter in a container next to it, so the bacterias could exchange, but never mixed the two, and didn’t measure the wheat flour near the two (avoiding contamination with dry flour in the air). It took awhile, but I think it worked. I was already starting with a brown rice sourdough starter, though. And to answer your Q about what I feed it…brown rice flour.

Tiffany
Please DON’T do that.Wheat is gluten. Do not cross contaminate. If you want/need to be GF(gluten free) you must begin a NEW starter made with preferably Brown Rice flour & yeast, please follow instruction carefully, I begin mine 6/11, almost 1 yr later & she’s doing great. Breads & treats are YUMMY & most important GF. Here’s recipe for sourdough Gluten Free starter:

I’d want to thank everyone posting on this great GF site. Both son (Mild Autistic, severe food allergies including wheat; myself (mom) celiac & severe food allergies, hereditary, I guess LOL) been gluten free since 2004 & doing fairly well. It’s a challenge but rewards are better than great. Please DO NOT underestimate the damage gluten will cause to our health physical, mental & emotional. Been there too long till we found a caring doctor.
Carmen aka keenpetite

Celiac is a serious disorder that can ONLY be curtailed with proper diet not using gluten. Hubby & I suspected I had Celiac disease back in 2/90, the intestinal problems were horrible bloatiness, very painful stomach cramps with bleeding & diarrhea 24/7, Went to our family dr that promptly delared “You can’t have Celiac, you’re not Anemic” without testing anything, of course I was beyond furious, I felt ignored & betrayed by this jerk that claimed to be an MD. Fast forward to 2/2004, female dr moves into town & I’m hearing all these great stories regarding great care she’s providing. Have appt with her & first thing she says “Carmen, I highly suspect you have a LOT of food allergies”
I was overwhelmed that a dr cared enough to learn what was making me so ill.
Following monday we begin an special diet, by third day, I felt/looked like a different person. By tenth day we knew that beef, iceberg lettuce, night shade vegetables (peppers, tomatoes etc) wheat & gluten were CARMEN’s worst enemies. Plus lactose intolerant. Had had an ugly rash on left arm for about 7 yrs that no dr seemed to care what it was. Following special GF diet I can honestly say this; rash is gone, I must be carefully what I eat or suffer. My digestive problems are Celiac, yes, its a challenge but rewards are better than great. Our youngest son was diagnosed with Mild Autism & does much better on a GF regimen. Yes, he has severe food allergies including a 4++ on wheat, onions, carrot. pepper & more, by eliminating the culprits, he’s more functional, no melt downs & happier. Able to graduate from high school. Please if you suspect symptoms might be related to gluten DO NOT allow any dr to tell it’s not, not until tests have been done & declared negative, change dr if you must remember our health physical,emotional & more is involved. Our whole life(s) & those of our loved ones are involved.
Best wishes to all in this great site
Carmen aka keenpetite

Carmen, thank you for your comments, and sharing your story. I have recently read the book Gut And Psychology Syndrome which outlines the GAPS diet for use in syndromes like Autism. You may find it quite interesting for your son…or yourself. We went onto that diet as a whole family when my son’s Dr. recommended it for him…we all had health improvements. Best of luck, Bronwyn

I don’t think I have ever tried to keep it in the fridge that long with just sourdough starter. It’s possible it would be OK, but a starter seems to be more fragile to me (at least a GF one), so I think it’s best to let it rise well immediately in a warm place and bake when fully risen.
If you try either method, please share your results!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

About Me

Hi, I'm Bronwyn, mom of six creative kids and wife to an amazing man. I love the Lord Jesus and I'm passionate about being a good steward of our planet by creating a happy, healthy home for my family. I believe the loving care of women everywhere will craft a healthier future for the next generation.